Opinion: The new Batman movie was okay

*SPOILER ALERT*

“The Batman,” directed by Matt Reeves, recently came to theaters and had fans of the franchise rushing to watch it. I personally have never been a huge fan of any ‘Batman’ movies, but found myself at the movies with my brother (a fan), excited to see this new movie that has been so anticipated by, seemingly, everyone. In this article I will be discussing a few of my opinions on the film. 

“The Batman” is set in the familiar city of Gotham, and Bruce Wayne has been Batman for about two years. Beginning with a sequence about Batman explaining his worries about his crime-ridden city, he plants a theme of self-doubt. Right away, it is clear that Reeves is trying to make Batman more human and vulnerable than he has been previously depicted. This is an interesting contrast from typical “superhero” movies, as they usually depict the heroes as extravagant and fearless. Robert Pattinson stepped into this unique Batman role and gave an impressive performance.  

With being five minutes short of three hours, this film felt a bit too long. I think the run time could have been shortened by at least twenty or thirty minutes. One of the aspects of the film in particular which I think could have been more fast paced is Batman’s walking. I am convinced that the movie could be significantly shorter if he had walked slightly faster. Being so long, you would think nothing would be rushed. However, I think the time in certain scenes would have been better used in other parts, such as the arrest of the Riddler. I thought it was somewhat sudden considering the extensive investigation that seemed to escalate from 0 to 100 very quickly. 

“The Batman” was very dark and gloomy, leaving little room for anything “fun” in Wayne’s life. However, the addition of Zoe Kravits’ character, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) opened a new door for Batman. Without her character, I think the film would have been much less enjoyable. Although their ending was not ideal, it seemed as though it was possible they would eventually meet again. We also do not get much comedic relief or lighthearted scenes, which is personally something I enjoy in movies as dark as this one. Not only was the mood of the movie dreary, but cinematically, it was literally very ill-lit. The brightness was kept to a minimum throughout the whole film, which added to this effect. 

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, however there were definitely many shortcomings. I will most likely not be watching it again, but I am intrigued to watch the next movie. Especially considering the preview of a possible new Joker towards the end, I am excited to see where the next movie will take the plot line. The general rating I would give “The Batman” is a 7.5/10. 

-Meher